Are TV Calibrations outdated?

jgilliam1955

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Today's TV's are awesome today. I am old and started with black & white TV's. I have always read about calibrating your TV and have done so sometimes. When you watch TV and are always going WOW! And this is the right out of the box. Why should I calibrate the TV if I already like the picture?
My OLED had burn in after 2 years & gave it away. I bought a QLED Samsung 2 months ago & I was amazed at the out of the box picture. When watching TV I just smile.
 
I have my TVs calibrated for two reasons:

1). To produce the best and most accurate picture my display is capable of producing; and,
2). Stops me from mucking about with the picture settings and wondering ‘what if...’

My next TV will be calibrated and I’ll continue to do so while such a service is provided
 
Today's TV's are awesome today. I am old and started with black & white TV's. I have always read about calibrating your TV and have done so sometimes. When you watch TV and are always going WOW! And this is the right out of the box. Why should I calibrate the TV if I already like the picture?
My OLED had burn in after 2 years & gave it away. I bought a QLED Samsung 2 months ago & I was amazed at the out of the box picture. When watching TV I just smile.
Ha ha, 64 old? :) I’m 65 and don’t feel old.
I’ve never had a tv professionally calibrated, nothing against it but I’m happy with the picture achieved by adjusting the settings. Guidance from this forum has got me to a picture I’m happy with.:)
 
I feel the same way. I have always used this forum the same way. If the picture makes you smile and others stop and look at it, it doesn't need calibration.
 
My Q80R was too lurid, bright and red at the start. After much messing about I realised that a) most settings given by on-line 'experts' don't suit me and b) it takes a lot of time! In some cases, re-booting - sorry, switching off and on - the TV is worthwhile.
Getting there, but it's necessary to take care in choice of broadcast programmes, e.g. on Strictly (damned good test for movement!) there's fake tan and also the judges look more orangey than the others.
BTW, I'm over 70 - if I'd had the 65" it would have been on my limit for lifting up to the table.
 
I just used the findings on this forum, particularly from @Mallett94 who has done a lot of work on settings and motion for the Sony XF9005, as a basis and have done minor tweaks.
I’ve now got to the stage where I’ve stopped fiddling and am just enjoying the tv :D
 
Thanks for your answer. Mine was perfect out of the box with surprised me. I had my daughter help me now. When I bought the OLED, I lifted it by myself and got stuck. I couldn't go up or down. I almost dropped it. I learned then I'm not the chap I use to be. Yesterday at our campsite my truck sent me a text that I had a tire going flat. I couldn't get all the lug nuts off. I walked through the camping area until I saw some young men drinking and playing horseshoes. I said, "I have a flat tire and I need someone younger than me to loosen the plug nuts.". My wife later told me she's worried I may hurt myself and maybe we should pay someone to do some of these things.".
 
My wife’s the same. ‘Don’t do too much you’re getting old’ well I’m going to carry on doing things until I’m physically unable :D
 
I can't help be a little bemused by all the emphasis on calibrations. I think they're probably very rarely necessary.

How the rule of thumb is anything other than "mess about with settings until you find the ones you like" is kind of beyond me.

There's not only a degree of subjectivity in terms of what looks best 'objectively', but it's also worth factoring in the fact that peoples' perceptions of colour, motion etc etc vary wildly. What's correct for one person may not be for someone else...

However, in this AV landscape there are people who get genuinely excited at the prospect of adjusting their colour balance by 0.02%, or whatever, so...i guess they'll always be a niche market for it...
 
With some Sony and Panasonics yeah I'd say don't bother calibrating. Just put them into certain present modes and turn a few things off and you will have a very accurate director intended picture.
 
I have to disagree with the "very accurate director intended" part

Yes, it will be a very good picture but it won't be accurate or as the director intended out of the box. I have a 2017 EZ952 Panasonic OLED and I have had it professionally calibrated and it needed quite an adjustment on the grayscale (Blue needed a 12 click adjustment!) so the picture was nowhere near reference on the default pro picture presets.

Calibration is very much a personal thing and a personal choice and the people that get it done (myself included) just want to get a reference picture to the industry standard and that it what a pro calibration will do. There is a noticeable difference between nearly there and actually there.

I fully agree that's its a niche thing and 95% of people will be very satisfied with the picture but it's not as the director intended, even if the box says so
 
If you’re happy with it does it matter what the director intended?;):)
 
If you’re happy with it does it matter what the director intended?;):)
Not unless it matters to you

As I said, calibration is a personal choice, if your happy with how your TV looks, happy days! 😁👍
 
I sat on the fence for a while with calibration and when I did upgrade my Panasonic plasma TV I thought ok what the hell.

I completely get that picture preferences (and sound) can be very personal but here are my observations.

As the TV can have multiple modes it is easy to flick between them and see them. The calibrated version is very good, however, it is a lot more subtle than you might imagine. I also don't believe that I would not have arrived anywhere close to the calibrated settings by trial and error.

Having said that the MIL doesn't believe it is right as the greens are not neon green and people should look more like David Dickinson's orange .... :D
 
I have to disagree with the "very accurate director intended" part

Yes, it will be a very good picture but it won't be accurate or as the director intended out of the box. I have a 2017 EZ952 Panasonic OLED and I have had it professionally calibrated and it needed quite an adjustment on the grayscale (Blue needed a 12 click adjustment!) so the picture was nowhere near reference on the default pro picture presets.

Calibration is very much a personal thing and a personal choice and the people that get it done (myself included) just want to get a reference picture to the industry standard and that it what a pro calibration will do. There is a noticeable difference between nearly there and actually there.

I fully agree that's its a niche thing and 95% of people will be very satisfied with the picture but it's not as the director intended, even if the box says so
Some TVs get damn close. Some pro reviews actually state that. Some reviewers have said that they didn't have to change that much at all during calibration.
 
Some TVs get damn close. Some pro reviews actually state that. Some reviewers have said that they didn't have to change that much at all during calibration.

Absolutely, especially the 2019 OLED's. I think the Panasonic's this year are very close and the GZ2000 had a delta error of under 3 out of the box, that is unbelievably good and would negate 99% of people getting a pro cal.

My Panny OLED is a 2017 model and these and the 2018 FZ's had a big blue push on the white balance, it seems that Panasonic have really tightened up the panel tolerances this year so well done to them.

I've recently purchased another Pioneer KRP-500A with only 12000 hours on it and it only needed a 3 click reduction on "Red High" and a 1 click reduction on "Green High" to get a reference picture with an average delta error of 0.30! Now that's amazing from 2008!

I think even with these highly accurate 2019 OLED's the HDR still needs a fair bit of adjustment so a pro cal will still help a lot
 
My 2015 LG (UG8500) was a new model/product at the time and my eyes and the calibration showed clearly that it was way our of balance. But it was out of whack in ways I'd never have thought to make adjustments plus it was very not uniform when looking at the LED/LCD segments. But the fella I used spent a lot of time bringing it all home and it is a very nice picture when it got all fixed up. But if folks are right and newer models are indeed coming in more often quite close, then it may be less needed. But I was amazed at what I didn't know (and still don't) and wouldn't have known how to adjust things that made a difference. the way my guy did.
 
I hope there not out of date as I am having my 2019 Lg OLED done on Monday.:D

But I was amazed at what I didn't know (and still don't) and wouldn't have known how to adjust things that made a difference. The way my guy did.

Who was "your Guy?"
 
How long does a calibration normally take? Someone at work had his panel done and he said the chap started late morning and didn't leave until 7.00pm.
 
Normally approx 4 hours ish.
 

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